


ace of strays

by thunderylee



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Character, Cat/Human Hybrids, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, side trans character, side xiuhan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-31 07:38:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12127692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Chanyeol hasn’t found the right one yet because he’s not looking in the right place.





	ace of strays

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck.

Technically, Jongdae owes him ten bucks.

Unlike every other man Chanyeol has been out on a date with, this one didn’t immediately make up an excuse to leave, laugh at him, or question his identity upon learning the number one reason why Park Chanyeol is still single. Jongdae says he’s being dishonest by waiting until it comes up in conversation instead of being up front about it, but Chanyeol doesn’t think it’s something he should have to disclose to anyone who shows an interest in him.

He’s already into guys, for fuck’s sake. There’s only so many coming outs a person can take.

“That’s cool,” Baekhyun says, not pausing in his efforts to shovel noodles into his face. “I mean, we’ll have to be friends now, but I’m still glad I met you.”

Chanyeol blinks, wondering whether to be offended or not. “Is it that important to you?”

He feels like a broken record, asking the same question so many times to so many different people, but this is the first time he hasn’t used it as a defense mechanism. It’s such a simple thing to understand, yet Chanyeol spends so much time and energy explaining himself to people who refuse to accept it that he’s shocked when someone gets it right away.

Baekhyun swallows his mouthful and gives Chanyeol his full attention. “Yes. It’s important to me like it’s important to you. We’re not compatible that way, but I enjoy your company very much, so I’d like to continue spending time with you.”

“I don’t understand.” Chanyeol hangs his head, struggling not to let the rejection get the best of him. Baekhyun’s looking at him so fondly that he feels incredibly respected despite the situation. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says gently, with the air of someone who is used to exuding a large amount of patience, “you want kids, right?”

The question takes him by surprise, but he nods firmly. “Yes.”

“What if I told you I didn’t?” Baekhyun asks. “Wouldn’t that make continuing this pointless?”

Chanyeol sighs. “I know what you’re trying to say, but…”

“It’s the same thing.” Baekhyun smiles warmly. “You may as well be sitting there telling me you’re straight.”

“Ouch,” Chanyeol mutters.

“I’m sorry that hurt you,” Baekhyun says sincerely. “Actually, if you’re open-minded enough, I know someone who might be perfect for you.”

“Open-minded?” Chanyeol gives this quasi-stranger a skeptical look. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Baekhyun starts, then seems to think better of it and shakes his head. “I’ll introduce you. Tonight, if you’d like.”

“Tonight?” Chanyeol repeats.

Baekhyun grins at him, his eyes crinkling. “We were going to go see a romantic movie after dinner, right? You should save that for someone you can be romantic _with_.”

Chanyeol sighs. “I still feel romantic attraction!”

“I know you do,” Baekhyun assures him. “Trust me, I know all about asexuality. I hear about it every day.”

“By whom?” Chanyeol asks, ears perking up at someone else feeling the same way he does.

Baekhyun signals for the check. “Come with me and find out.”

*

Out of all the places Chanyeol thought Baekhyun might take him, Baekhyun’s place of employment wasn’t one of them.

“This is…”

“Open mind,” Baekhyun reminds him, and Chanyeol nods as he follows Baekhyun into the hybrid adoption center.

He fools himself into thinking that perhaps Baekhyun is talking about a colleague, a fellow social worker or maybe a scientist who studies hybrid lifestyles, but no such luck. He’s led back to the “cells,” as Baekhyun calls them, though they’re much more glorified than the prison cells Chanyeol has seen on reality shows. Each one is like a small hotel room, only one of the walls is glass for passersby to look in. Chanyeol realizes it’s two-way glass when a cat hybrid saunters right up to him, offering a dazzling smile with his fluffy white tail curled around him.

“We’re not here for you, Taozi,” Baekhyun tells him, and the hybrid pouts so adorably that Chanyeol offers him an apologetic look.

“With all due respect,” Chanyeol starts as he follows Baekhyun down a long hallway, “I think hybrids are the exact opposite of what I’m looking for.”

“You’d think that, wouldn’t you,” Baekhyun says, his tone curt for the first time since they’d met. “The media makes hybrids out to be living sex toys, but you can’t believe everything you read, Chanyeol. Hybrids are bred to be companions first and foremost. If their owner decides to take that companionship to the next level, then they have to comply or chance being returned.”

“That doesn’t sound very consensual,” Chanyeol mutters. He would know a thing or two about emotional manipulation.

“It’s often not.” Baekhyun stops suddenly, turning on his heel to face Chanyeol. He’s a good half a foot shorter, but his stern eyes are as intimidating as if he were towering over him. “The hybrid I’m about to introduce you to has been returned seven times for ‘failure to perform behavior expected of a pet’.”

He’s making air quotes, and Chanyeol seethes, his hands making fists at his sides. “That’s so horrible.”

“It really is, because I warn all of the owners ahead of time how he is and they still agree to take him.” Baekhyun inhales sharply, his eyes softening. “It’s even worse that way, because he comes to really like them, just to be cast aside when he doesn’t end up putting out, so to speak. I think you might know how that feels.”

“I know how that feels very much,” Chanyeol admits.

“He won’t trust you at first,” Baekhyun says. “He looks mean, but I promise you, he’s a loving ball of fluff.”

Chanyeol nods, and Baekhyun pulls him around the corner. This cell is like all the others—a big, squishy-looking cat bed in the midst of toys and other forms of entertainment. As they passed by other rooms, Chanyeol had noticed televisions and video gaming systems, a few laptops and one chemistry set. This hybrid has books, and lots of them, one of which he’d clearly been reading before he fell asleep, curled up adorably on his bed with his ears folded against his head.

There’s nothing special about him. He’s smaller than average, despite the sign next to his door saying that he’s only a couple months younger than Chanyeol. His fur is shiny and black, no stripes or highlights, his build moderately thick and muscular. When he’s not reading, he must work out, maybe for the same reason Chanyeol does. When you’re like them, you have to be able to defend yourself against unwanted advances. Especially since _all_ advances are unwanted.

“Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun calls softly, tapping on the glass before turning to Chanyeol with a smirk. “He hates when I do this.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t—” Chanyeol starts, but he’s cut off when the hybrid shifts, blinking open eyes that are so big and brown that Chanyeol can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to look at them. Chanyeol is enamored the instant he sees them, his heart swelling as the hybrid—Kyungsoo—stretches out to his full length and curls his lips at Baekhyun.

“It’s after hours,” Kyungsoo informs them, his voice low and even. “It’s uncouth to parade your boyfriend around at your workplace, anyway.”

Chanyeol’s breath gets caught in his throat, but Baekhyun just laughs. “He’s not my boyfriend, idiot. We were on a date, but I thought he’d be more appropriate for _you_.”

Kyungsoo scoffs. “Yeah, right.”

“He’s like you,” Baekhyun says, and Kyungsoo’s ears stick straight up. “Kyungsoo, meet Chanyeol.”

“Hi,” Chanyeol says eloquently, offering an exaggerated wave.

“What do you mean ‘like me’?” Kyungsoo demands, getting to his feet and approaching the glass. He gets so close that Chanyeol thinks he’s going to press his nose right against it, but he stops just short of it.

Instead of answering, Baekhyun unlocks Kyungsoo’s door and gestures for Chanyeol to go inside. “I’ll let you two talk. I have some work to finish up anyway.”

Chanyeol brings his hand cautiously to the doorknob, then lifts his eyes to the hybrid who’s watching his every step. “Is it okay if I come in?”

“I suppose so,” Kyungsoo answers, stepping back from the glass to give them both space. “Thank you for asking.”

The doorknob clicks, and Chanyeol closes himself inside before he can change his mind. Oddly enough, he’s more nervous now than when he’d met Baekhyun earlier. It’s ironic, because he already knows that Kyungsoo doesn’t want anything from him, probably resenting his life more than Chanyeol does. Chanyeol may feel like everyone he meets only wants one thing from him, but that’s Kyungsoo’s literal reality.

“Hi,” he says again, holding out his hand in a polite greeting. “My name is Park Chanyeol.”

Kyungsoo eyes him for a very long time, then accepts the handshake. “Do Kyungsoo.”

His hand feels like any other human hand, his grip stronger than most of Chanyeol’s business associates. Chanyeol’s not sure why he expected it to be different—Kyungsoo’s still mostly human, after all. He just has cat ears and a tail. Those are the only physical differences between hybrids and humans, yet hybrids are practically caged animals who are seen as property.

“Do you like being a hybrid?” Chanyeol asks suddenly.

“Not really,” Kyungsoo answers. His tone is a lot less abrasive than Chanyeol expects, and he laughs when he notices Chanyeol’s confused face. “I don’t really know any other life, do I? I used to think I was a failure of a hybrid, but now I realize it’s everyone else who fails at accepting diversity.”

“I understand that so much,” Chanyeol says, his excitement rising at finally having like-minded company. “I’ve had so many people tell me that I’m broken, or there’s something wrong with me when I simply don’t like something they all seem to like. Why is sex so important to everyone?”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo says with a shrug, and it’s the first time that Chanyeol’s ever gotten a hopeful answer to this question. “It’s gross and uncomfortable and _demeaning_. Just because I go into heat every month doesn’t mean I want help. I do just fine on my own, thank you very much.”

“Yes!” Chanyeol exclaims, clapping his hand over his mouth after the fact. “Oops, sorry.”

Kyungsoo waves a hand dismissively. “It’s not that late.”

“Do you want to come home with me?” Chanyeol blurts out, then flushes as he considers the implication of his question. “I mean…”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo answers, and Chanyeol’s eyes widen as the hybrid closes the distance between them and looks at him with those big eyes. “Thank you for giving me a choice.”

When Chanyeol tears his eyes away from Kyungsoo’s, Baekhyun’s on the other side of the glass, grinning and waving paperwork that suspiciously looks like adoption forms.

*

Life with a hybrid is completely new to Chanyeol. He and his sister had a guinea pig growing up, but hybrids are much more self-sufficient. All Chanyeol has to do is show Kyungsoo where everything is, buy him a few things, and leave him be. Kyungsoo seems more amazed at having his own room than anything else.

“What do you like to do?” Chanyeol asks as Kyungsoo gets settled in. He’s not sure whether he should offer to help the hybrid unpack or keep his distance. There’s a fine line between being overbearing and completely ignoring someone.

Kyungsoo looks up from where he’s putting away neatly folded clothes, startled like he hadn’t noticed Chanyeol still lingering in the doorway. “I like to read, mostly,” he answers. “Not many hybrids know how to read, but Baekhyun taught me. Well, you could say I learned _with_ him.”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks gently. He still doesn’t know Baekhyun very well—they had just exchanged messages on a dating website before agreeing to meet up. He hadn’t thought Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were any closer than a hybrid and a social worker before now.

“Baekhyun’s older brother volunteered at the shelter when he was a teenager,” Kyungsoo begins, speaking without breaking his unpacking stride. “It was around the same time that Baekhyun started falling behind at school with his reading, so Baekbeom suggested he try teaching a hybrid. I was just a kitten, but I really wanted to learn. Baekbeom had us read together, and it worked! I’m still grateful to both of them.”

“Baekhyun’s a good guy,” Chanyeol mumbles, the guilt flooding him as he recounts his last failed date. “I feel bad that I’m not good enough for him. We had so much in common otherwise.”

Kyungsoo stops moving abruptly, folding his hands on top of a stack of boxes. He looks every bit the cat he’s supposed to be, aside from the glare he’s directing toward Chanyeol. “Are you gonna stand there and tell me that I wasn’t good enough for any of my previous owners?”

Chanyeol gasps. “No, of course not.”

“Then don’t say it about yourself,” Kyungsoo says firmly. “We are who we are, and we either match with others or we don’t. Blaming yourself does nothing but lead you to a self-depreciating spiral that you don’t want to go down. _Trust me_.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol says slowly. “I’m sorry.”

“I also like cooking,” Kyungsoo tells him. “And games. Exercising. Movies. Don’t worry—I’m easy to entertain. I’m used to being left by myself.”

The last sentence makes Chanyeol’s heart ache. “I won’t leave you alone…unless you want me to.”

“Either way is fine.” Kyungsoo flashes a small smile. “I’m just glad to have a home.”

 _Me too_ , Chanyeol wants to reply, realizing at that moment how empty his house has been up until now.

*

Baekhyun visits every day for the first week, making sure that Kyungsoo is adjusting well and Chanyeol knows what he’s doing. Chanyeol doesn’t really know what he’s doing at all, and Baekhyun doesn’t laugh too hard when Chanyeol’s amazed that Kyungsoo actually takes showers instead of bathing himself.

“Everyone has different ways they need to be taken care of,” Baekhyun explains. “Humans and hybrids alike. Just keep a line of communication open, and you will learn what he needs from you. In the meantime, I can mediate. Kyungsoo and I go way back.”

“Yeah, I heard you learned how to read together,” Chanyeol says, his cheeks heating up when he realizes how personal that is. “I mean…”

“It’s okay.” Baekhyun offers a small smile. “Having a learning disability isn’t really something I advertise on my dating profile.”

Chanyeol cringes. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not as bad as it used to be. I learned a lot of tricks to help me remember words, and this job doesn’t put too much of an emphasis on reading. I’ve always been better at talking directly to people anyway.”

Chanyeol just nods, staring at his hands in his lap. “I’m glad you two could help each other.”

“Me too.” Baekhyun leans back on Chanyeol’s couch, making himself comfortable while Kyungsoo curls up in an armchair, presumably napping. “I’m _elated_ that you two seem to be working out so well. Part of the reason I became a social worker is because of him, and it broke my heart to see him returned so many times for a supposed ‘defect’.”

Chanyeol twitches at the word. “If he’s defective, then so am I.”

“Simmer down there, trigger,” Baekhyun says with a smirk. “I’m on your side here.”

“Habit,” Chanyeol breathes out, biting back another ‘sorry’. He promised himself a long time ago that he wasn’t going to apologize for who he is.

Baekhyun’s grin looks out of place until he speaks. “Kyungsoo does the same thing. It looks like you can help each other too.”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol looks over at the hybrid, whose ears are twitching in his sleep. “Thanks, Baekhyun.”

“Don’t thank me,” Baekhyun says, shaking his head dismissively as he reaches for one of the takeout boxes strewn across the table. “Just take care of him.”

“I will,” Chanyeol promises.

*

Jongdae looks like he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he sees a cat hybrid curled up on Chanyeol’s couch, tail thumping while he glares at the intruder.

He ends up doing a little of both as he glances toward Chanyeol. “Bro…”

“Jongdae, this is Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol introduces them like the tension in the air isn’t suffocatingly thick. “Kyungsoo, this is Jongdae—my best friend.”

Kyungsoo flicks his eyes toward Jongdae and scoffs indifferently, returning to his nap without a word.

“He’s rude,” Jongdae assesses.

Chanyeol laughs. “So are you, so you’ll get along.”

“Are you sure that he is right for you?” Jongdae asks carefully, clearly aware of the hybrid in the same room with them. “You know what they say about hybrids.”

“What, that they’re loveable companions?” Chanyeol challenges, and he sees Kyungsoo smirk under his closed eyes. “Don’t believe everything you read in the media, Jongdae.”

Jongdae glances toward Kyungsoo, then sighs. “Can I pet him?”

“If he lets you,” Chanyeol answers, but Kyungsoo’s already awake and narrowing his eyes, letting out a firm hiss. “I’d take that as a no.”

“What the hell, Chanyeol, have _you_ even pet him yet?” Jongdae asks, gaping when Chanyeol doesn’t answer. “Chanyeol! What is the point of having a hybrid if you can’t pet him?”

“Don’t talk to me about the point of anything!” Chanyeol hollers in response, surprising himself as well as Jongdae. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You and I are different, you know that.”

“Yeah.” Jongdae sighs. “Well. Whatever makes you happy, Yeol.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeol says pointedly, then starts as he feels something furry press against his hand. “Kyungsoo?”

“You can pet me,” Kyungsoo announces, flopping unceremoniously onto his side with his head on Chanyeol’s thigh. “Just you, not him.”

“Like I want to pet you anyway,” Jongdae grumbles, his frown softening when he meets Chanyeol’s eyes. “I’ll leave you be. Call me tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol agrees distractedly, his focus on Kyungsoo’s soft ears under his fingertips. He barely notices that Jongdae has let himself out, eyes locked on Kyungsoo’s small body and how it flinches under his touch. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, Kyungsoo.”

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo sighs out, curling his tail around himself. “It’s okay if it’s you.”

Chanyeol’s heart feels warm as he runs his fingers through Kyungsoo’s fur, gently scratching his ears and stroking the longer strands of his hair. It’s so mesmerizing that Chanyeol doesn’t realize he’s completely entranced until Kyungsoo starts purring, deep rumbles vibrating Chanyeol’s entire body. Chanyeol wonders if Kyungsoo has purred like this before, perhaps for the owners who returned him when he wouldn’t have sex with them. Chanyeol’s eyes narrow at the thought.

Kyungsoo butts his head against Chanyeol’s hand when he stops for too long, and Chanyeol smiles again as he starts back up. Kyungsoo’s tail is flopping happily, his limbs wrapped around himself like a hug, and Chanyeol wonders if he’s allowed to do that too. Just because he’s not into sex doesn’t mean he’s not into touching, desiring body heat and someone else’s hands on him even if they’re not going anywhere inappropriate.

“Kyungsoo?” he calls gently, and Kyungsoo acknowledges him with a soft whine. “Can I hold you?”

He thinks Kyungsoo doesn’t hear him at first, but then the small body is rolling onto his stomach, crawling the short distance into Chanyeol’s lap. Chanyeol’s breath hitches as Kyungsoo’s arms wrap around his neck, ears twitching beneath his chin as he gets comfortable. His tail thumps harder than it should, the only indication that he’s less than content with this arrangement.

Chanyeol hugs him tightly, not letting up until Kyungsoo relaxes. He knows what the hybrid is thinking, because he’s thought it a million times before, but Chanyeol’s not interested in going any further than this. Once Kyungsoo understands that, he falls limp in Chanyeol’s embrace, tail curling around them both as they enjoy each other’s body heat, heartbeats syncing together.

Then Kyungsoo pushes his face into Chanyeol’s chin, and Chanyeol smiles. Everyone knows that’s cat speak for “I love you.”

*

Kyungsoo’s heat is less awkward than Chanyeol expects, mostly because Kyungsoo warns him in advance.

“It’ll happen tomorrow,” Kyungsoo tells him. “I usually wake up with it, because nature doesn’t even want me to have breakfast first.”

Chanyeol laughs despite the severity of the topic. “What do I need to do? Baekhyun instructed me how to keep you fed and watered, but what do _you_ need from me?”

Kyungsoo stares at him for so long that Chanyeol gets uneasy for the first time since he’s brought the hybrid home. “Don’t fuck me,” he finally says. “My body is beyond my control, so it might appear that I want you to, but I really don’t.”

“Noted,” Chanyeol says. “I’ll just leave you be, and if you need anything, you can call for me.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo agrees, then offers a rare smile. “Thank you for respecting my wishes.”

“Of course.”

Chanyeol wakes up the next morning to a loud, feline screeching. It almost sounds painful, but he knows better than to poke his head into Kyungsoo’s room. He lights a candle to combat the blatant smell of arousal in their house, which Kyungsoo probably appreciates too. Chanyeol gets erections just like any other man, but he doesn’t think he’d be very comfortable with someone else fully aware of him tending to them.

He waits until he hears a lull in the vocals before tapping softly on the door. “Kyungsoo? Are you decent?”

A snort answers him, and Chanyeol chances opening the door. Kyungsoo’s covered by a blanket, but there are sex toys strewn all over his (human) bed and the air is pungent with his scent. Chanyeol ignores it all and rushes to the hybrid’s side, cleaning him up a bit before making sure he drinks some water and eats a bit of food.

Kyungsoo stares at him as Chanyeol wipes his face with a damp washcloth. “You’re really not turned on by this.”

“Not at all,” Chanyeol answers, smiling at Kyungsoo’s incredulous eyes. “I feel bad for you, actually. I would hate to have to go through this every month when there’s no chance of satisfaction. Isn’t there any other option? Spaying, maybe?”

Kyungsoo gasps like Chanyeol had suggested murder. “I want to have kittens someday!”

“You do?” Chanyeol asks, tilting his head in confusion.

“Of course! Don’t you?” Kyungsoo has the decency to look sheepish. “Human babies, that is.”

“Yes, but I assumed I wouldn’t be creating them.” Chanyeol pets Kyungsoo gently when the hybrid leans against him. “Two human men can’t make a baby, at least not yet.”

Kyungsoo hums, making himself comfortable in Chanyeol’s lap despite his immodesty. “It’s gonna flare up again in a second, if you want to leave.”

“If you want me to leave, I will,” Chanyeol says. “If you want me to stay, I won’t interfere.”

“Okay, but…” Kyungsoo gasps as his heat starts to affect him again. “If you start to feel affected, I want you to leave.”

“Deal,” Chanyeol agrees, but he spends the entire time stroking Kyungsoo’s ears, pushing the sweaty hair out of his face while Kyungsoo does a variety of things to himself to alleviate his natural urges. Maybe if Kyungsoo was touching himself out of a moderately more consensual arousal, Chanyeol might be interested, but all of this is against Kyungsoo’s will. At one point, Chanyeol takes over control of the dildo pushing in and out of Kyungsoo, and he still doesn’t feel like anything more than a caretaker.

Once the second heat subsides, Kyungsoo raises grateful eyes to Chanyeol. “I’m so glad you went on a date with Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol bursts out laughing. “You and me both.”

The next two days are spent keeping Kyungsoo hydrated and satisfied, petting him through his heats and helping in ways that don’t involve direct contact. When it finally breaks, Kyungsoo makes such an unflattering face that Chanyeol drags him into the shower, washing him carefully until the hybrid sighs, sounding more satisfied than he had after his orgasms.

“Kyungsoo,” he says gently, “how are you gonna make kittens?”

It’s a credit to how nice Chanyeol’s fingers feel in his hair that he doesn’t even flinch. “It’s not as complicated with hybrids as it is with humans. The breeders put us together during a heat, and boom—kittens. Half of the time we don’t even know who the father is.”

Chanyeol sighs. “If only it was so easy for humans.”

Kyungsoo hums as he bumps his head against Chanyeol’s arm. “Get in here. It’s my turn to take care of you.”

Chanyeol’s so surprised that he complies, stripping off his clothes and settling in the tub with Kyungsoo, and immediately the hybrid’s hands are on him, washing and cleaning and gently rubbing his muscles. He supposes he deserves it after seeing Kyungsoo through his heat, not that he’d expect any retribution. It’s part of his job as a hybrid owner.

It’s nice to feel Kyungsoo’s hands on him, though. He’s gentle and thorough, even if he makes Chanyeol’s hair stick straight up into two devil horns. Chanyeol laughs when he realizes it, splashing water at Kyungsoo until they’ve made a mess of the bathroom, then the pair of them lean against each other in the tub, Kyungsoo’s tail swishing happily under the water.

*

Office work is just as stressful as any other job. The main difference is that Chanyeol gets to sit down while he’s getting yelled at. He works at an insurance company with a bunch of older ladies, all of whom adore him until they find out about his hybrid-slash-partner.

“I don’t understand,” Chanyeol says when they gang up on him in the break room. “How is it that you’re okay with me being gay _and_ asexual, but you can’t accept me being with a hybrid?”

“It’s just not right, Channie,” one of the ladies says, giving him this sympathetic face that makes him rage on the inside. “Hybrids are not real humans. They’re your pets. You may as well have built a robot and programmed it to love you forever.”

Chanyeol folds his arms. “That’s about the only way I’m going to get anyone to love me as I am, isn’t it?”

That seems to shut them up. Their generation may not have as big of a focus on sex in relationships as Chanyeol’s, but the attraction is still expected. That’s where Chanyeol’s confident in his identity—he can have sex just fine, if he feels like it, but he doesn’t look at people he loves and think, “Wow, I’d really like to stick my dick into that!”

He would think he was oversimplifying the allosexual mentality if he hadn’t heard that exact quote come out of Jongdae’s mouth on numerous occasions.

All he wants to do is go home and cuddle Kyungsoo, the one person who seems to understand him, but the hybrid isn’t waiting for him in the living room when he walks in the door. Kyungsoo doesn’t usually run up to him—he is a cat, not a dog—but he’ll lounge on the couch or be in the kitchen preparing something when Chanyeol is expected to return. Kyungsoo has a keen sense of time, which Chanyeol learned very quickly when he was late one day and Kyungsoo ignored him for an hour. Now he always calls or leaves a note in the morning if he knows in advance.

“Kyungsoo?” he calls, placing his keys in the dish by the door and hanging up his coat. His tie is already loose and he whips it completely off, unfastening the buttons on his dress shirt that have suffocated him all day. “Here, kitty kitty.”

Kyungsoo turns his nose up at being called that way, but the door to his room still remains closed. Chanyeol approaches it carefully, concerned that something has happened to his hybrid, but Kyungsoo’s heavy sigh answers him when he knocks.

“Come in,” Kyungsoo says, sounding reluctant. “And thank you for knocking.”

Chanyeol frowns as he opens the door. It’s been three months and Kyungsoo still thinks Chanyeol’s going to treat him like a piece of property, taking away his privacy and his agency. He expects Kyungsoo to be upset about something, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Kyungsoo packing a suitcase, decidedly not looking at Chanyeol.

It breaks his heart.

“Are you leaving?” Chanyeol asks, his voice wavering. “Did I mistreat you somehow?”

“No,” Kyungsoo answers, and Chanyeol is confused until Kyungsoo points at a calendar. “It’s been almost been ninety days. This is the last day you can return me and get a refund.”

“But…” Chanyeol starts, eyes widening when he sees how Kyungsoo has meticulously crossed off every day leading up to tomorrow, which is decorated with a skull and crossbones. “I don’t want to return you. I love you.”

Kyungsoo’s tail twitches like Chanyeol had scolded him. “I love you too, but Chanyeol, what are we doing here? I am supposed to be your pet, not your significant other. I can’t marry you. I can’t have kittens with you. I can’t give you what you want.”

“I think it’s me who gets to decide that,” Chanyeol says carefully, fighting back the emotions that want to cloud his eyes. He can’t get rejected again, not after all of the time they’ve spent together. “Do you want to leave?”

Kyungsoo sighs again, abandoning his overfilled suitcase to flop dejectedly onto the bed. “No. You’re the best owner I’ve ever had.”

“Because I don’t own you,” Chanyeol tells him, slowly taking the seat next to him. Kyungsoo’s tail thumps, but he doesn’t move away. “We may live in a world where hybrids are seen as property, but that doesn’t mean we have to live that way. Less than a century ago, homosexuality was forbidden, women didn’t have any legal rights, and people of color were kept as slaves. Humanity evolves, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo blinks big eyes up at him, showing vulnerability for the first time outside of his heat. “Do you think that one day I’ll be able to have a job, too?”

“Is that what this is about?” Chanyeol asks with a relieved smile. “I don’t mind taking care of you, Kyungsoo. I would do the same for a human. But if you want to work, I will find a way for it to happen.”

“I want to work,” Kyungsoo says, sitting straight with his ears pointed up. “I want to go to school. I want to be a functioning member of society, not…not banished to a room all day, depending on someone else to live.”

Chanyeol nods and places a hand gently on Kyungsoo’s arm. “You aren’t banished here. You can go wherever you’d like. I didn’t collar you, right? I may have legal ownership of you, but you are a free person. I just hope you would want to come back to me.”

Something furry loops around his waist, and Chanyeol preens at being included in Kyungsoo’s embrace. “It’s not safe for me to do that yet,” Kyungsoo says quietly. “Hybrids who aren’t accompanied by their owners are ridiculed and often abducted. Even if they see me with you and no collar, they will taunt us.”

“I know,” Chanyeol says. “I get lectured at work about you, how our relationship isn’t real because you’re obligated to love me—”

“Do you believe that?” Kyungsoo interrupts.

“No,” Chanyeol answers, and Kyungsoo laces their fingers together on his thigh. “You’re not genetically wired any differently than I am, Kyungsoo. You just have cat ears and a tail. In fact, you seem more human to me than the humans who only look at others as sexual conquests.” He inhales sharply, then squeezes Kyungsoo’s hand. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m not…I won’t.” Kyungsoo rubs his face against Chanyeol’s arm. “You are so good to me, Chanyeol. You always give me a choice and ask my consent for everything. I’m not used to that. It scares me.”

“It’s called respect,” Chanyeol says. “It’s being a decent human being.”

Kyungsoo sucks his lips into his mouth, presumably mulling over the words in his head that want to come out. “We’re taught that humans collar us and order us around out of affection. We’re taught to serve and submit in return. I was never good at that. Baekhyun tried to find me owners who understood, but they always ended up accusing me of not being a good pet. One of them even said there’s no point in having a hybrid if I didn’t devote my entire life to him. If he wanted that kind of distant relationship, he’d date a human.”

“Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol slips his arm around Kyungsoo’s body, holding him close. “That person is wrong. That’s not a distant relationship—it’s an _equal_ one. Two people who care about each other cannot have such a drastic power imbalance like that. Even those S &M couples recognize each other’s agency. It may be true that your previous owners desired a different type of companionship than traditional human relationships, but that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. You go well with me.”

He knows his words are effective when Kyungsoo purrs, vibrating his entire right side where Kyungsoo’s pressed against him. “You go well with me too.”

“You’re right that I can’t marry you,” Chanyeol says, lifting his fingers to stroke Kyungsoo’s ears in an attempt to keep the purring going. It works. “We can’t reproduce either, but that doesn’t mean we can’t spend our lives together. When you’re ready to have kittens, I’ll take you to a breeder. I’ll adopt them all and we can raise them together, hopefully in a world where they are recognized as their own people instead of pets. We can make this work, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo smacks him with his tail. “I want to believe you.”

“You don’t have to believe me right now,” Chanyeol tells him. “Just stay with me and watch it happen.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo agrees. “I’ll stay as long as you want to keep me.”

 _Forever_ , Chanyeol thinks, but he can’t speak the words with lips pressing against his. It feels as weird as any other time he’s been kissed, but at the same time it’s nice. Kyungsoo’s not trying to pry his way into Chanyeol’s mouth, simply moving their lips together with no pressure. Chanyeol finds himself getting into it, lifting a hand to cup Kyungsoo’s face, which Kyungsoo automatically tilts his head to brush against.

They break apart naturally, Kyungsoo’s ears folded over like he’s bracing himself for a bad reaction. “I’m sorry, I should have asked first. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and you always ask before you touch me someplace new, but the opportunity presented itself and—”

“It’s fine,” Chanyeol stops him, rubbing his ears until they stick up again. The purring makes him smile, and he hopes he never stops feeling this good from pleasing his hybrid. “That’s the first time I’ve enjoyed doing that with someone.”

“That’s the first time nobody’s tried to take it further,” Kyungsoo says, and Chanyeol nods his agreement. “I trusted that you wouldn’t, and you didn’t. Thank you.”

“Thank _you_ ,” Chanyeol replies, his eyes darting down to see Kyungsoo’s plush lips. “Can we do it again?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo answers in a rush, relocating his entire body into Chanyeol’s lap as they kiss again, for much longer, his tail swishing happily against Chanyeol’s legs.

*

“Now turn the wheel to the right—the _right_ , Kyungsoo, the ri—”

A garbage can rolls to the side, helped along by the bumper of Chanyeol’s car, and Chanyeol bows his head at his neighbors who happen to be gardening in their front yard. “Sorry!” he calls out. “I’ll pay to replace your can!”

The male looks up, flashing a dimple under his floppy hat as he jogs toward Chanyeol. “It’s just a dent, no worries! I think it’s great you’re letting your hybrid learn how to drive.”

“Y-you do?” Chanyeol asks. He and Yixing have been amiable ever since the couple had moved in next door, but they don’t talk politics much. Then again, he remembers when Yixing’s partner was Lu Han instead of Lu Mingxia, so Yixing’s mind is already more open than most.

“Of course,” Yixing says. “It was only a matter of time before the government recognized how hybrids can contribute to our society. It may not be full independence, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

“Yeollie!” Mingxia calls out, dropping the hose to run toward the two men. Chanyeol’s eyes widen at the noticeable milestone in her transition, accentuated by a ribbed tank top. “Check out my new rack!”

“He can see them, honey,” Yixing says gently, slipping an arm around his woman, who is as tall as he is. Together, they smile at Chanyeol. “She’s excited about them.”

“They’re very nice,” Chanyeol tells her, and Mingxia’s soft features beam up at him.

“Parallel parking is bullshit!” Kyungsoo’s yelling from the car, and Chanyeol gives his neighbors an apologetic shrug.

“Congratulations on the kittens,” Yixing says with a wink, the pair of them returning to their gardening.

Chanyeol grins as he turns back to his determined hybrid and an equally as reluctant driving instructor. Baekhyun looks pale despite his tan, gripping onto the strap above his window as Kyungsoo grits his teeth and tries to park again. The hybrid barely fits behind the wheel with as big as he’s gotten, but he’d insisted on learning how to drive the instant it was legalized.

“Chanyeol!” a familiar voice calls out, and Chanyeol lifts his fist for a bump without turning away from the sight before him. “What’s up with the house calls, bro? I hardly see you since you’ve gotten all domesticated.”

“What can I say, I’m a family man now,” Chanyeol replies, catching Jongdae’s eyeroll out of his peripheral vision.

“Whatever makes you happy,” Jongdae mutters, but they both applaud and cheer when Kyungsoo finally fits the car between the orange cones.

“Thank you, thank you,” Kyungsoo says proudly, rolling himself out of the driver’s seat and waddling up to Chanyeol. He’s seriously adorable, both hands cradling the three kittens he’s carrying like they’re going to fall right out of him if he lets go. He’s the happiest member of any species right now, and Chanyeol’s whole world brightens just looking at him.

“How do you feel?” Chanyeol asks, trying not to sound too concerned. It must not be very effective, because Kyungsoo gives him a knowing look and a swat of his tail.

“I’m _fine_ ,” he says. “I think Baekhyun’s more likely to have lasting stress from this than I am.”

Chanyeol snorts, turning his attention to where his friend is still rubbing his temples in the passenger seat. “You’re probably right.”

“Baekhyun, huh?” Jongdae speaks up, eyeing the other man as he shakily exits the car. Baekhyun makes the mistake of turning around, bracing himself against the hood, and Jongdae whistles under his breath. “Wow, I’d really like to stick my dick into that.”

Kyungsoo exchanges a look with Chanyeol, and both of them burst out laughing.


End file.
